Metal furniture.



PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908.

' B. STOGKWELL.

METAL FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1904. RENEWED JUNE 3, 1907.

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. PATENTED JAN. 14, 190

M. E. STOCKWELL.

METAL FURNITURE. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 18, 1904. RENEWED JUNE 3. 1907.

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' the invention relates, among other things, to

' by means of the mechanism illustrated in the inafter described, theupper portion being at- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILLABD E. STOCKWELL, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO ACME DOORAND GLASS COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION. OFCALIFORNIA.

METAL FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14;, 1908.

Application filed Jan ary 18. 1904, Serial No 189.468. Renewed Tune 3.1907. Serial No. 377044.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, I/nLLARD E. STooK- WELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State ofMichigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metal Furniture,of which the following is a specification.

'1 his invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in metalfurniture, the improvements being particularly directed to chairs,stools, andanalogouspieces of furniture which are supported by fourlegs, and

that class of furniture provided with detachable legs; also toknock-down constructions. The objects of the invention are(1) To furnishlight, cheap and durable legs for supporting the chair or stool. (2) i=0furnish a method for securing the detachable braces to the legs so thatthe same can be readily detached. (3) To furnish a new and improvedmethod of bracing the chair back by means of slats secured to theframework of the chair. back detachably, and having a pulling orstraining effect upon the back in order to retain rigidity. (4) Otherobjects hereinafter described in the specification and pointed out inthe claims. These objects I accomplish accompanying drawings, in w hichFigure 1 shows a front elevation of a chair constructed in accordancewith my invention, and containing the objects above set forth. Fig. 2shows a transverse sectional view upon the line through the center ofthe support. Fig. 3 shows a detached View of one of the back slats,illustrating the peculiar hooked arrangement which engages with theframe of the chair back. Fig. 4 is an edge view of one of the backslats, and a section of the back frame illustrating the detachableengagement between the slat and the frame. Fig. 5 shows a horizontalsectional view just above the braces which support the legs of the chairor stool, the tubular legs being shown in cross-section and the ends ofthe slats showing their engagement with the chair legs. Fig. 6 is anenlarged view of the upper end of the seat support, which seat supportis cylindrical in form and adapted to engage with a screw-threaded bolt,as-here tached to the bottom of the chair seat; and Fig. 7 is a verticalsectional view through the .braces.

center of the seat support and the adjusting sleeve, showing theposition of the adjusting bolt, the seat support and the adjustingsleeves; also showing the lugs or projections to which. the legs areattached.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views. I

A represents the chair or stool seat constructed in any suitable mannerand supported on the upper end of the chair support B, the upper end ofthe support B being enlarged and secured by bolts or screws to thebottom of the seat.

C is what I term the leg support, the same being cylindrical in form andof sufficient size to receive within it the cylindrical portion of thechair support B, said cylindrical support B inclosing the threaded boltD and entirely concealing the same, at the upper end, from view, and theleg support C carrying the threaded bolt D and inclosing thecylindrical,

portion of the seat support.

I The seat support B is threaded atE, which thread does not reach to theupper end of the leg support, but has the central portion threaded at E,which serves as a nut which engages with the screw threads of thescrew-bolt D. The lower end of the cylindrical portion B is not threadedas shown by P, the object being to prevent the seat support from tippingover when the same is raised beyond a connection with the bolt D. Thus,the seat support enters the cylindrical leg support and is held in. anupright position, even when the threaded portion E is raised above thescrew-thread on D. The screw-bolt D is secured to the lower end of theleg support by the bolt O, or any other suitable means, as shown in Fig.7.

F F F are the chair legs, which engage with the lugs G etc on the leg suport C, and are fastened by means of bolts which bolts G may be removedfor the purpose of detaching the legs. The legsF F F are made of tubularmetal, preferably drawn steel, and preferably oval in crosssection, asshown in Fig. 5. These legs are supported by means of the braces H H Hand I, the braces being all constructed precisely alike with theexception of the brace I, which is provided with a different hook at I,as shown in Fig. 5. The legs are provided with openings or slots for thereception of the hooked ends H H, etc. of the These braces may be of anysuitable shape, but in the example of my invention shown in thedrawings, I have shown them arranged to form a square, as seen in Fig.5. The hooks H H enter into the tubular legs and are secured therein bymeans of the position of the braces and legs. The hook I has only onebend and merely hooks through an opening in the leg F, as shown in Fig.5. At this end of the brace I a bolt passes through and secures this endof the race I to one of the braces H. By removing the bolt, the brace Ican be removed, and with it all the braces H H H; and by removing thebolts G, the legs may be taken from the leg support so that this part ofthe stool or chair is a knock-down stool or chair and can be readily andquickly put up, and readily and quickly taken down, and by thearrangement of the hooks and a single bolt can be made very rigid andstrong, even when the chair is made of light material.

' The bottoms of the legs are provided with lugs, constructed of wood orany suitable material for the purpose of strengthening the legs at thebottom, and also for the purpose of forming a support preventing thelegs from marring the carpet or floor.

The back of the seat is composed of a back frame L of tubing, preferablyoval in cross section, the lower ends of the said back frame L beingbent under, as shown by L L, and secured to. the under side of the chairseat. In the example of my invention I show three backslats which aredesignated by K K K.

These back slats may vary in number, each slat being provided with ahook at the upper end, as shown in Fig. 4 by N, which engages with anopening in the rear portion of the back frame L and is secured to thebottom of the chair by means of bolts, as shown in Fig. 2. These backslats are preferably curved in form, and are made preferably flat andare attached to the chair by means of hooking the same in the back slatand springing them forward so as to engage on the under side of theseat, giving a straining or pulling effect upon the chair back so as toretain the slats always firmly in position. By this construction theback of the chair may be readily separated by merely removing the screwswhich secure the back of the chair to the seat and by unhooking theslats K K K from the chair back, as above described.

The advantages of my construction consist in the use of tubular legs forthe chair, which are preferably made of drawn steel tubing which givesgreat strength with the least amount of weight. Also in the peculiararrangement of bracing the legs, which forms a very rigid brace and yetone that can be readily detached and packed; also in the device forraising and lowering the seat wherein the screw threaded bolt isentirely concealed from view by means of the cylindrical support B andthe cylindrical leg support 0. It also consists in the peculiar arit isdesirable to have light, cheap and durangement of the chair back,whereby the slats K K K are made to draw downwardly upon the back frameL, thereby retaining the back firmly in position and securing a cer tainamount of elasticity or flexibility in the back slats K K K. It will beseen that each slat K has a hook N at its upper end, fitted within theback frame L, and a shouldered portion K below said hook. The severalhooks, it will be obvious, prevent the slats K from pulling downward,While the shoulders K prevent the slats from being driven too far intosaid back frame.

A chair or stool constructed in accordance with my invention is strong,neat, durable;

can be readily taken to pieces and packed, and readily and quickly setup for use.

While I have referred to the device as an improvement in chairs, it willbe evident that the arrangement of legs may be used in connection withany article of furniture where rable legs tosupport the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to have invented anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the 'United States, is

1. An article of furniture including a seat provided with four legs,three braces having adetachable interlocking connection with three ofthe legs, and a fourth brace having a detachable connection with twolegs and a positive and direct connection with one of the other bracesand outside the legs.

2. In combination with the tubular legs F F F, cross braces H H Hprovided with hooks engaging with the said legs, a brace I provided witha hook which may be removed readily from the legs, and suitable meansfor bolting the brace I to one of the braces H,

substantially as described.

3. In combination with' the legs F F F, I V

made of tubular material, thebraces H pro.- vided with the hooks H bentin the form described, the braces I provided with the hook I, and asuitable bolt for attaching the brace I to one of the braces H wherebythe same may be readily removed therefrom, substantially as described. I

4. In combination with the legs-F, the

MILLARD E. STOCKWELL.

Witnesses:

EDWARD TAGGART, MARY S. TOOKER.

